Featured Online Programs in Social Work

Individuals within the administration and management specialty work in leadership positions in the social work field. Sometimes known as social and community service managers, these professionals make decisions about the budget, goals, and staff.

Social work administrators and managers work at local government agencies or nonprofit groups, and they might oversee an entire organization or a specific department. These professionals need a good understanding of social policy and social services to run these organizations effectively.

Social workers who work within the field of advocacy and community organization work to actively make a difference in society. They work to lessen the inequality that leads to homelessness, unemployment, and addiction, among other community-related issues.

These professionals might work as community organizers, making change at the grassroots level. Social workers interested in advocacy may also lobby to change laws at the local, state, and federal level.

Older adults face unique challenges, including health problems and loneliness. Many have trouble living on their own, and they can find themselves vulnerable to slips and falls. Social workers who specialize in aging work with these adults, helping them take on these obstacles to live independently. They might help older adults participate in their community, or they might offer psychological counseling.

Social workers who specialize in aging may work at nursing homes and residence facilities, or for other community organizations.

Children constitute another of society’s more vulnerable populations because they are often too young to advocate for or care for themselves. A child welfare social worker can help young families bring up their children in a healthy environment.

When children experience abuse or neglect, child welfare social workers might need to step in to protect children and place them in more caring family environments. Childcare welfare social workers generally work for local government agencies.

These social workers also work with children, although they specifically aid children with developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, learning and speech disorders, or different types of intellectual disabilities.

Children in these circumstances require extra help to become as independent as possible. Parents need to know what legal and educational services can help their children. Social workers specializing in developmental disabilities connect their clients with the proper resources.

As the name implies, healthcare social workers specialize in helping their clients obtain the proper healthcare for their medical needs. They also help people with certain components of their personal and social lives that might lead to health problems.

Healthcare social workers sometimes work for community organizations and local government agencies. They can also work in healthcare settings like hospitals and clinics, helping their clients navigate current health issues. These professionals might develop programs or carry out research, rather than work one-on-one with clients.

International social workers can carry out many different types of work. They might offer services to immigrants, helping them navigate resources in their new country. These professionals could also work at refugee camps, orphanages, and hospitals, guiding the most vulnerable people in the population. They connect these individuals to employment, legal aid, language classes, schools, and other essential areas of support.

International social workers find jobs at federal government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and intergovernmental groups.

Justice and corrections social workers play a large role in the U.S. justice system. They work in courts, police departments, prisons, and crisis centers.

When courts charge someone with breaking the law, sometimes they must complete community service and counseling instead of prison. Social workers may take on these cases. These professionals also offer therapy and drug treatment to incarcerated people, and they often work as parole officers. Social workers might be called upon to offer expert testimony in court.

Unlike some types of social workers, mental health and clinical social workers require state licensure in order to practice. With licensure, they are qualified to provide mental health services, like therapy and counseling.

These professionals help individuals dealing with anxiety, depression, addiction, and other challenges. Sometimes they work one-on-one with clients, and other times they carry out group therapy.

Mental health and substance abuse social workers take on very similar roles to mental health and clinical social workers, but they specifically focus on substance abuse issues. These professionals provide guidance and resources for individuals with addictions to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

Substance abuse social workers may also work as advocates for jobs and housing policy reform, community development, and other policies related to substance abuse.

Occupational and employee assistance professionals take on a unique role in social work. Rather than working with vulnerable populations, they usually work in offices at businesses or corporations. They help these companies restructure in order to improve efficiency and morale.

EAP social workers frequently manage companies’ mental health services. They help workers with issues like excessive stress, substance abuse, domestic violence, or other issues that affect an employee’s professional and personal life. They might also work for unions, offering job counseling services.

The government sets laws and policies at the federal, state, and local levels that impact both systemic societal issues and, more directly, social work practices. Policy and planning social workers lobby for policies that support social services.

Policy professionals research issues like homelessness, poverty, racism, child abuse, and discrimination with the goal of developing strategies to combat these issues through policy. Once they determine these strategies, these professionals then work with lawmakers and other influential parties to bring about these changes.

Sometimes social workers use their advocacy and policy planning skills to transition into leadership roles. They might run for office, or they might work as a researcher or staffer for another candidate.

Political candidates with social work backgrounds often run on a platform of increased and better social services at the local, state, or federal levels. At the federal level, social worker politicians work with the Congressional Social Work Caucus to develop policies and turn them into law.

In sort, public welfare social workers help individuals meet basic needs. They usually coordinate benefits and income for people, including elderly people or people experiencing homelessness. Individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses may also receive certain help from government programs, which public welfare social workers facilitate.

These professionals may work as case workers, but they can also work as administrators and program evaluators. They usually work for a government agency within the public welfare department.

Like any other field, advances in social work stem from research conducted by professional researchers. They might investigate topics like the success rate of certain public welfare strategies or the effectiveness of social assistance programs. Their ultimate goal involves improving the field through ongoing research-based discoveries.

These professionals usually hold a postgraduate degree in social work — at least a master’s degree and often a doctorate. They typically find employment at universities, think tanks, government agencies, and foundations.

School social workers typically find employment at either public or private schools, helping connect students and families with available services. They often help children navigate a variety of issues that disrupt their learning, including emotional or developmental challenges.

Young children may experience difficult home lives, and school social workers provide them with strategies to keep up with their school work. These professionals might interfere if they sense a child experiences abuse or neglect at home. In high schools, school social workers deal with many of the same issues, including teen pregnancy, alcohol and drug abuse, and regular truancy.

An associate degree typically requires two years of full-time study, and a bachelor’s takes four years. An MSW may take an additional two years, but students who have earned a BSW may receive advance standing credits, shortening the time needed to finish. Most students take four or more years to fulfill requirements for a doctorate. The timeline varies for students in online programs that offer accelerated formats or part-time options.

A social work degree supplies the educational credentials necessary to provide counseling and support services to children, adolescents, and adults. Graduate training in social work prepares social workers for supervisory roles in public and private organizations, along with education and research positions that shape public policy.

The curriculum for a social work program depends on the degree level. In addition to course requirements emphasizing policy and practice, all programs require field experiences that partly fulfill state licensure requirements. Some undergraduate programs and most graduate programs feature practice area specializations in areas such as mental health, palliative care, military, and school social work.

While social workers do not earn the highest salaries, a social work degree leads to rewarding employment possibilities. Social work education prepares graduates for personally and professionally fulfilling careers providing essential services that help their clients cope with challenges and empowering them to improve their lives.